Obama in Mexico: Immigration Reform Provides Citizenship for 11 Million 'In This Country Illegally'

Daniel Halper

May 4, 2013 7:47 AM

In his weekly address filmed this time in Mexico City, President Obama touted his efforts to reform the immigration system. He made sure to say the "bill is a compromise," and included this gaffe, "It would provide a pathway to earned citizenship for the 11 million individuals who are already in this country illegally."

The president said he brought up the topic because it "affects both our countries."

"The truth is, right now, our border with Mexico is more secure than it’s been in years. We’ve put more boots on that border than at any time in our history, and illegal crossings are down by nearly 80 percent from their peak in 2000. But we’ve got more to do – not just to secure the border but to fix an immigration system that is badly broken," he said.

"In recent weeks, we’ve seen a commonsense immigration reform bill introduced in the Senate. This bill is a compromise, which means that nobody got everything they wanted – including me. But it’s largely consistent with the principles I’ve laid out from the beginning.

<>"It would continue to strengthen security at our borders and hold employers more accountable if they knowingly hire undocumented workers.

"It would provide a pathway to earned citizenship for the 11 million individuals who are already in this country illegally.

"And it would modernize our legal immigration system so that we’re able to reunite families and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers who will help create good paying jobs and grow our economy.

"These are all commonsense steps that the majority of Americans support. So there’s no reason that immigration reform can’t become a reality this year."